Natan Ehrenreich

After graduating from Fuchs Mizrachi School in Cleveland, Ohio, as the class of 2019 valedictorian, Natan Ehrenreich ('23YC) looked to spend his college years learning, thinking and writing about the great ideas of Jewish, Western and American history that had animated him since childhood. After a year of Torah study at Yeshivat Orayta in Jerusalem, Ehrenreich enrolled in Yeshiva College as a political science major and undergraduate scholar at the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought.  "I was beyond excited when I first heard of the Straus Scholars program," says Ehrenreich, "and from the moment I sat down for my interview with Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik in the lobby of the King David Hotel, I knew that I wanted to be involved in one of the most idiosyncratic academic environments in America, one that uniquely combines the wisdom of our Western inheritance with the Jewish tradition we are responsible for passing on."

Though he arrived at YU amid the chaos of the Covid-19 lockdowns, Ehrenreich immediately began taking advantage of the opportunities afforded to him as a Straus Scholar, beginning with a weekly study of the thought of Nicolo Machiavelli with Straus Center Associate Director Dr. Neil Rogachevsky. Ehrenreich has since engaged in additional personal studies with Dr. Rogachevsky, focusing on the Federalist Papers and the American Founding. "My conversations with Dr. Rogachevsky and Rabbi Soloveichik, both in and out of the classroom, have played an integral role in my intellectual development, and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to forge relationships with professors whom I so admire," says Ehrenreich.

Outside of the classroom, Ehrenreich spends his time as a tutor at the writing center and as president of the Tikvah Fund's collegiate chapter at YU. Ehrenreich also utilized his experience as a Straus Scholar to bring a unique perspective to several prestigious summer fellowships, including the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and the Hertog Foundation, taking courses with leading public intellectuals such as writer Tim Carney, political philosopher Dr. Yuval Levin and political scientist Dr. Diana Schaub. "Beyond learning from some of the wisest public intellectuals in America, my summer experiences have led to discussions with some of the great public servants of our age, from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Attorney General Bill Barr and Senators Ben Sasse and Tom Cotton. I've tried to bring the knowledge gained at the Straus Center to these conversations, sharing the tremendous role that the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition have had on the development of the United States." Ehrenreich has also worked diligently to grow as a writer, publishing work in the Wall Street Journal and National Review. Much of his writing focuses on the challenges and opportunities facing American Jewry and advocating for the religious liberty that has characterized and shaped the Jewish experience in the United States. He hopes to continue to contribute to the national discourse as an advocate of conservative ideals as an editorial intern at National Review this Summer, which he will complete concurrently with the Beren Summer Fellowship at the Tikvah Fund.

After graduation this spring, Ehrenreich hopes to work in the field of conservative ideas before attending law school. "I don't know exactly where I'll be in a decade, whether it be a career in journalism, law, business or politics," he says, "but I know that the ideas I have spent the last three years studying at the Straus Center will play an integral role in my pursuits. My time as a Straus Scholar has been a whirlwind of lectures, conversations, seminars and activities spanning the country. Though many of these opportunities have occurred outside the walls of the Straus Center and YU, my experience as a Straus Scholar served as the invaluable first step towards all of them." To learn more about the Straus Scholars program, click here. You can learn more about the Straus Center by signing up for our newsletter here. Be sure to also like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and connect with us on LinkedIn.